Racing: Scott has won everything - except Great Northern

A decade ago Brett Scott gave away his dream of winning the race all jumps jockeys crave for - Ellerslie's Great Northern Steeplechase (6400m).

It was 1996 and Scott moved from New Zealand to Melbourne and with him went his hopes of Great Northern success after three failed attempts.

This afternoon at Ellerslie, 35-year-old Scott rides one of the shortest-priced favourites in the Northern for years, Real Tonic, and rates himself lucky indeed to have the opportunity.

"I conceded the race when I went to Melbourne.

"The Great Northern Steeples is such a specialist race that there are never any spare rides going in it," said Scott as he viewed the Ellerslie course late yesterday afternoon.

"I'm lucky to get a ride in the race, let alone a decent ride that can win. It's not an opportunity I was going to miss.

"This is my chance to put the record books straight."

Scott has done everything in the jumps world but take the Great Northern.

He's won the world's richest jumps race, the Nakayama Grand Jump in Tokyo, five Great Easterns, four Grand Annuals, three Hiskens Steeplechases, a Grand National Hurdles and Steeples and has four times been successful in the Australian Steeplechase.

Trainer John Wheeler rates him the best in the business.

Scott knows Real Tonic better than any rider knows his mount in this afternoon's famous race.

He helped to prepare him in Melbourne for his training partner and boss Wheeler and in the autumn rode him to win the Great Eastern Steeplechase in Adelaide and in the Grand Annual at Warrnambool.

He says Real Tonic is not the best horse he's ridden.

"But of those top horses, he's the best suited for tomorrow's race.

"Some of the best I've ridden in Australia have been dashers, because that's the type of horse you need over there, but they'd all have struggled to win a race like this.

"Real Tonic's best asset is his jumping, followed by his staying ability."

The footing today will be considerably firmer than when Real Tonic bolted away with the Pakuranga Hunt Cup at Ellerslie two weeks ago and when he won the Great Eastern at Oakbank in torrential rain.

"He loves heavy ground, but I don't think the track condition will matter," said Scott. "When you get over these really long distances, it's about staying power and I think the better footing will help him stay.

"When he won at Warrnambool over 5500m, the ground was just dead and he managed it well. Once you get to the marathons, the footing doesn't matter as much."

Compared with two or three years ago when he had a terrible run of injuries, Scott has been trouble free lately and has yet to put a finishing date on his career.

"I keep saying three or four years. When I was going through those injuries I wondered if it was time to give it away, but then along comes a good horse.

"There's nothing like putting your leg over a good one to make you feel better."

That will happen just before 3.30pm at Ellerslie today.